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Happy Sunday!  I hope everyone is hanging in there.   It stinks right now, but we’re strong and we’ll get through it. I was blessed to be able to spend some time, socially distanced, with friends last weekend.  We enjoyed some vitamin D and catching up.  This was a rosé day for sure.  I’d purchased the Jacqueline Leonne Rose from Total Wine the week before.   It is a sparkling rosé so was meant for a sunny day.  Having said that, it was ok, but not great.   It had hints of strawberry and some minerality to it, but I didn’t really like the taste as much.   I do like some brut sparkling wines, but I didn’t like this one.  It was a 92 on the Wine Spectator’s guide, but I didn’t agree with that rating.   You can get this wine at Total Wines for $15 per bottle.

Greetings! I hope everyone has had a good weekend and enjoyed some family and/or friend time this weekend. I recently purchased In Vino Pinot Noir from Italy. I was excited to try it given I hadn’t had Italian wines lately and hadn’t tried too many organic wines. I opened it and tried a taste right off the bat and wasn’t too impressed with it. I decided to let it open up a bit, so let it breathe about 45 minutes. The impression didn’t get too much better as it just seemed…well….flat. It had hints of dark cherry and some mineral, but it was meh. Perhaps I’ve had too many bold California Cabs or even their spicier Pinot Noirs and my tastes are tainted. However, I have also had really good, mellow Pinot Noir’s from Oregon and France and enjoyed them. I’d say that might be what you get for $9, but I can find solid wines between the $9 – $15 range. This just didn’t do it for me. I blame COVID19 and the fact that I’m listening to Dolly Parton’s Jolene. That bat-originated, evil, spiky-haired mass of crap and that auburn-haired, man-stealin’ hussy. Now I’m just in a bad mood. There’s your dang picture below. I’d better go find a better wine.

Hello Everyone – I hope you are all staying safe and hanging in there.  It’s been a difficult few weeks and will continue for a while, but we’ll get through it.  We always find a way to cope – wine sales have increased 66% in the last few weeks.   There has been a lot of online purchasing with many purchases via large online stores.  However, don’t forget about the smaller family or boutique vineyards who might not sell via online or even in local grocery stores.  They depend upon the visitors to their vineyards for their business and their business has been significantly hampered due to COVID19.   I visited the following three wines several years ago and really enjoyed most everything they produce.    Crane Family is the first of my favorites.  Their Merlot is my favorite Merlot and their Cabernet Sauvignon and Il Cavaliere Red are outstanding.     In addition, you should order some Aonair wines.  Their Cabernet Franc and Grenache Blends are great.  I enjoyed their Late Harvest Semillon as well even though it was a slightly sweeter white wine than I normally like.   Finally, you should give Porter Family Vineyards wines a try – I really enjoy their Sandpiper Red.  Note that I waited to post this so I could place orders ahead of the mad rush this is going to have on their wines.   Have an excellent week!

cranefamilyvineyards.com

aonairwine.com

porterfamilyvineyards.com

Happy Sunday! We’re gonna get there folks, but it’s going to take a little time. Keep an eye out for people who are in need because we’re all in this together. A couple of weeks ago, I went international…only virtually…and tried the 2016 Chateau La Tonnelle Haut-Medoc. This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot from the Bordeaux region of France. It had a level of minerality to it along with hint of slight sulfur. It had a relatively strong oak taste as well with some slight fruit as well. It was a good blend of all. I enjoyed this wine with my dinner a couple of weeks ago before I understood I’d never leave my house again. That’s not actually true in that I have gone to the grocery store, honoring the social distancing rule as best I could. It got a little dicey around the meat, chicken and dairy areas because everyone was preparing for the apocalypse. I tried to hold my breath when encountering other humans, but I got so confused that I ended up breathing in while standing next to a whole family holding tissues, then breathing out next to the carton of milk. Just keep in mind that you need to protect the elderly and those who have already existing medical conditions. Thank a doctor, nurse, and/or an emergency responder when you can. And don’t hoard. That’s just a bad look. In summary of the original wine topic, you can find this wine at Total Wines for around $25.00 per bottle.

Hi Everyone.   It has been an incredibly crazy last couple of weeks.   I hope everyone is staying healthy.  We’ll make it through, but for the love of Pinot, you don’t have to buy a pallet of toilet paper or hand sanitizer or masks.  Just be smart.  I thought I was smart when I bought the #1 Merlot, the best value for the price, as per Total Wines.  The 2017 Radius Merlot was highlighted as the “epitome of smoothness”.  I did taste hints of cherry and vanilla as they’d advertised, but a bit too much so.   It started off a bit too sweet for my taste.  I wasn’t a huge fan of this wine and wouldn’t have rated it a #1 Merlot.   Once it had a chance to breathe, it was a bit smoother, but not to the level it advertised.  You can find it at Total Wines for $11.99.   Let me tell you about something else that’s less than smoothe…two brothers in Tennessee bought up thousands of bottles of hand sanitizer and anti-bacterial wipes and began selling them anywhere from $8 to $70 per bottle on Amazon and eBay. Both of those sites no longer allow those guys to sell on their sites so those fools are stuck with pallets of the stuff.  You two are officially the #1 and #2 smoothe operators in Tennessee…and the United States for that matter.

Good evening! I hope you have all had a great last few days! Life has been busy but that’s what happens these days, but isn’t it always? Sometimes you have to mix it up a bit, so I did so with the 2017 Plungerhead Old Vine Zinfandel this last week. I don’t pick a Zinfandel as a general rule, but I felt sucked in it by its label. I enjoyed this wine after about 20 minutes of letting it breathe. The initial tastes of smoke and hickory were good, but were much better when mellowed after the wine opened up. It was a good medium-bodied wine and had good fruit tastes but not overwhelmingly so. This is a wine from grapes grown in the Lodi and Paso Robles California areas. You can find this wine at Market Street and some other grocery stores for around $18 per bottle.

Hello!   I hope everyone has had a great weekend!  A couple of weekends ago, some of my best friends and I went to dinner in downtown Dallas and had a great time!   We enjoyed a great dinner at Truluck’s while catching up and enjoying some of the best laughs.  I made the mistake of ordering a 2017 Katherine Goldschmidt Crazy Creek Cabernet Sauvignon.  It was only a mistake because while it is a good Cabernet, it was more fruit forward and wasn’t pairing well with our dinner.  We were eating heavier seafood dishes and steak, so it just didn’t stand up.   My friend Elizabeth suggested a different wine, so we went with the 2016 Paraduxx Proprietary Napa Valley Red Wine and it made a difference.  It was more earthy and less fruit forward.   It had notes of cocoa, and wood, but with some more balanced fruit on the back end.   We proceeded to order more and continued to enjoy more wine, food and belly laughs.  You can find this wine at some grocery stores and Total Wines for around $40.00 per bottle. It was a great night with some of the best friends.   Those are the blessings in life!  Here’s to the blessings in your life! 

Friday night here in the Dallas area was crazy!  Not because I tore it up at the local club, but because the weather was out of control with thunderstorms in the area.  That can be an even more exciting event than any night at the club – especially if you get wrapped up in the local meteorologist’s reports.  That’s where the real drama is.  I couldn’t decide if I needed to hunker down in the closet and say my last prayer or just order sushi.   I continued to watch the weather and ordered sushi.   I don’t like to put others at risk for a food delivery, so made sure I ordered the sushi well ahead of the storm.  I then opened a bottle of the 2018 Rombauer Carneros Chardonnay, after having gathered my cell phone, the dogs, a flashlight, and had devised a quick escape path to a central closet.  This wine has some acidity to it and you taste hints of peach, pear and vanilla.  It wasn’t a strong oak Chardonnay.  Stronger oak Chardonnays don’t always pair well with spicy foods.  It wasn’t my favorite on its own, but it really paired with a slightly spicy sushi dish and you could then taste some of the fruit and vanilla.  I enjoyed this wine with the spicy food and think it would pair well with lighter fish or pasta dishes.  You can find this wine at some grocery stores for around $35.00 per bottle.  Rombauer Vineyards does make a few different wines, including other Chardonnays at various price points.  Have a great rest of the weekend and week!

We’re now upon the most wonderful time of the year! However, there’s a lot to do including give gifts to family, friends and hosts/hostesses. I’m presenting Stephanie’s 2019 Holiday Wine Shopping Guide. The guide below is based on my opinion only and I try to list those that people can actually find in either grocery stores, Total Wines or local liquor stores. If you have tried a wine and love it and know that the person to whom you’re giving it likes that particular varietal, then go with that. Your “known” of the wine and the person is better than my “known” of the wine. Most of the wines listed are not priced more than $100 per bottle. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to delve into that tier of wines, but I just don’t buy wines that expensive. Never say never, but not now. Legal disclaimers aside…here we go:

Whites/ Rosé’s/Sparklings:

Up to $20

· Matua Sauvignon Blanc – very light and relatively dry at less than $10 per bottle

· Joel Gott Oregon Pinot Gris – $14.00 per bottle (apple and lemon, lighter white)
Louis Bouillot Perle d’Aurore Sparkling Rosé – $19.00

· Chateau La Vivonne Les Puechs Rosé Cotes de Provence Rosé – Hint of fruit on the nose, taste of strawberry on the palette, and hint of grass or hay $15.00 per bottle

· Dr. Heidemanns-Bergweiler Riesling with slight minerality and a hint of strawberry and peach notes on the end at $18.00 per bottle

· Lamarca Prosecco is slightly dry with hints of citrus and cut grass for around $13.00 per bottle

Up to $50

· Sonoma Cutrer Russian River Valley Chardonnay – richer, slight butter, and mid-oakiness at $25.00 per bottle. I love this wine, so will usually include it.

· Conundrum White Blend – a bit of oak with honeysuckle and pear, good for drinking on its own at $24.00 per bottle

· Louis Jadot Pouilly-Fuisse from the Burgundy Mâconnais region in France with hints of lemon and notes of grass and medium-bodied – very dry and a bit sharp at around $22.00 per bottle.

$50 and Over

· Rombauer Chardonnay is a medium oak Chardonnay with hints of apple and maybe some melon for around $75.00 per bottle

· Veuve Clicquot Brut Rosé Champagne – a nicely balanced champagne (not too dry even as a brut) with peach and strawberry for $60.00 per bottle

Reds:

Up to $20

· Troublemaker Red Blend with hints of cinnamon, pepper and a little smoke so a heartier wine for around $17.00 per bottle

· Chateau De Segries Cotes du Rhone Grenache with hints of raspberry and black cherry with some pepper for around $18.00 per bottle

· 2015 Latitud 42 Crianza from Rioja, Spain is bold and has a mineral, slightly ashy taste up front but hint of dark cherry with a solid oak tone throughout with a long finish as well – must be a bold red fan, but a good wine for around $13.00 per bottle.

· You can find a lot of good Cabernet Sauvignon for under $20 per bottle as well – I have too many to list really

Up to $50

· Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon – smooth medium-bodied Cab with hints of cocoa, mild fruit and oak $25 – $30 per bottle

· Austin Hope Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles has hints of black cherry, cocoa and oak for around $45.00 or so per bottle

· Conundrum Red Wine has notes of chocolate and some floral essence as a medium-bodied wine that you can find for around $22.00 per bottle

· Left Coast Cali’s Cuvée Pinot Noir (certain years are better than others – 2015 was good) – slight berry and floral undertones, but was a combination cedar and spice as well for around $25.00 per bottle

· Frog’s Leap Merlot – a smooth drinking wine with some fruit notes and hints of cedar for around $36.00 per bottle

$50 and Over

· Bergstrom Cumberland Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon – a solid pinot noir with some spice and substance for around $55.00 per bottle

· Hall Cabernet from Napa Valley has hints of cherry, wood and slight chocolate for around $50.00 per bottle

· Belle Glos Clark and Telephone or Dairyman Pinot Noir (note the Clark and Telephone and Dairyman as part of the label. The Alturas is good, but these are better) is just a good smooth, but slightly heartier Pinto Noir from California at around $50.00 per bottle

· Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon has some dark cherry and vanilla and is a good wine to give as a gift at around $75.00 to $80.00 per bottle

· Silver Oak (another one I’ll always put in this list) as they just make a great Cabernet Sauvignon that is smooth with hints of chocolate and some dark berry in either Alexander Valley (around $80.00 per bottle) or Napa Valley (around $140 per bottle)

Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Be safe and drink responsibly. I hope you are able to spend the holidays with family and friends.

Total Wines: https://www.totalwine.com/

Specs: https://specsonline.com/

Hello All!   I hope you’ve had a great weekend and are getting ready for Christmas!  A friend recently asked me if I’d be interested in a really good Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington state.  Why yes, good friend Ron, yes I would most definitely be interested.  Some friends and I enjoyed the 2016 Col Solare Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon on Thanksgiving (yeah that’s how behind I am…not in drinking wine, just documenting it).   Col Solare is a partnership between two wine producers: Tuscany’s Marchesi Antinori and Washington State’s Chateau Ste. Michelle.  They make a great partnership as evidenced by this wine.  It was an outstanding smooth-drinking Cab.   I’d let it breathe of course, then I could taste hints of chocolate, vanilla, some currant and even maybe a little coffee with no taste really overpowering the others.  This is another Cab that I would recommend with red meat, chicken and rich foods, but would be a great drinking Cab on its own.   It is made up of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Cab Franc grapes.  The Col Solare website does offer locations where to find it including grocery stores and restaurants.  I didn’t find it at the Kroger grocery store where it listed it, but I did find it at Buon Vino, a local wine bar and distributor in Plano, Texas.  This is a more expensive wine at around $70-$80 per bottle.   Stay tuned for the Christmas shopping guide providing suggestions for many varietals and prices – I promise I will get it out there prior to the 2019 Christmas.  ?

https://www.colsolare.com/find_our_wine